Why I’m Glad I’m Not a Coach, Running Backs Edition

Cameron Molina

I don’t pretend to have the skills needed to evaluate college football talent on the practice field.

I can watch them play in actual games and make some educated guesses about their abilities, but that’s about it.

That’s why I’m really happy I’m not the one who has to sort through the large number of running backs who will report to training camp three weeks from now. That number includes two freshmen, a transfer, and a veteran who switched positions.

This is the job RB Coach Todd Gilcrist, Offensive Coordinator Mike Faragalli and, of course, Head Coach Al Bagnoli have to sift through:

Of course, senior Cameron Molina should be at the top of the depth chart after a junior season where he led the offensive stat sheet and found a way to put in some stellar performances in a winless season.

After Molina, things get complicated.

In training camp last year, then-freshman Chris Schroer made a splash and he showed a flash or two on the field in 2014 despite an early season injury. He comes from a pretty strong HS program in Cincinnati and could be a factor if he stays healthy.

Fellow sophomore Turner DeMuth was a sparkplug as he got into more games and proved to be a decent runner and receiving target out of the backfield.

Junior Alan Watson had an injury interrupted season and is very hard to rank.

They’re listed as running backs, but sophomore Leander Cutler is a fullback and Tyler Kwiatkowski appears to be put into something of an H-Back role. Both had good springs, and Cutler seems to be improving a lot as blocker.

Incoming freshman Lucas Faria comes in as one of the most highly touted, (there’s that hated phrase again, but it’s accurate), running backs for Columbia in years. Fellow freshman H.T. Minor is more of an unknown quantity, but he comes in with some all state honors.

Finally, there’s transfer Jackson Conway, the Yale commit-turned Duke walk-on who simply cannot be ignored at 5-11 and 235 pounds. No one should be surprised if he ends up getting significant playing time and makes an impact.

Considering the solid way Molina player last year, no one would consider Columbia’s running game to be the biggest concern going into this season. But there is still tremendous room for improvement and Bagnoli spent most of his years at Penn crafting a running game by committee approach that often featured at least one serious receiving threat out of the backfield.

I’m just glad I’m not the one who has to make these choices.